Alexis Lestrange and the Rise of a Dark Lord
by Keith the Evil Dark Lord
Summary: 6th in Alexis Lestrange series: Lines have been drawn, sides have been taken, and the term family has lost its worth. A Dark Lord lingers in the shadows, ready to destroy all Alexis and friends hold dear. With her best friend now forced to understand the prophecy he shares with the Dark Lord, Alexis is willing to try anything to help him including looking to the past for answers...
1. Football, Kwidditch, and Scotch

6 Chapter 1: Football, Kwidditch, and Scotch

Super sorry for the delay! The Alexis Lestrange series shall now officially continue. Unfortunately, this chapter is a great deal like the original with a few added characters and dialogue as I found the whole chapter quite important. This will not be the case for the majority of the rest of the book which will likely follow loosely along with the original sixth until the end. With that being said, this is the sixth book in the Alexis Lestrange series. I would recommend going back and reading the first five. However, as my writing is quite heinous in them, especially early on, I will try to make that not necessary.

 **Disclaimer** : I own nothing but the OCs!

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6 Chapter 1: Football, Kwidditch, and Scotch

The Prime Minister of England and the Leader of the Free World did not have much in common, a fact that was quite evident to both men as they lounged around the Prime Minister's office one late afternoon. The Prime Minister was a taller, more strung out kind of man, who was quite proud of his gentleman elegance and action-before-words method of work. The President, on the other hand, was shorter, more brawny with the wider width a man gains naturally with age - or so the President would say - though not at all the personality of one as old as he. He was much louder, rambunctious even, with a hearty laugh the Prime Minister thought he heard far too many times but not quite as much as the man's uncouth wit.

Nonetheless, both men were the leaders of their countries and were, supposedly, the best each had to offer.

"I don't suppose ya'll have considered starting a football team anytime soon?" asked the President with his deep, slow drawl in his latest attempt to start idle conversation. The two were both waiting on a call from a foreign president in a country far away and unlike the Prime Minister, the President could not do so in silence.

"We have several football teams, already, Mister President," said the Prime Minister coolly. However, if he had hoped for the President to catch his desire not to banter with him, he was sorely disappointed.

"Football, Prime Minister!" chuckled the President, as if he had thought the Prime Minister was simply jesting him. "Football! A real man's sport, you know? Now don't get me wrong, pal. Your little soccer league here seems great and all, but if you really want to start a national sport, football is what you need!"

"It's not soccer," grumbled the Prime Minister, testily. "It's football."

"Right, right," said the President, still chuckling. "Just like they're chips instead of fries, good ol' chap?"

Having just heard the President just make his eighth horrendous attempt at an English accent, the Prime Minister wisely squeezed the edge of his desk instead of the President's large throat.

"Can't believe my term is almost up," sighed the President, sinking into his armchair by the fire.

"Me either," sighed the Prime Minister for a completely different reason. Of course, as it were the Prime Minister's luck, the President didn't see it as so.

"Don't be too sad, pal," laughed the President in good nature. "You can always trust in my successor to help you with these troubling times. He may be a bit of a... Left Wing, but, well, he's still my successor. And there ain't a dang thing my country wouldn't be willing to do to help your troubled country in its time of need."

The Prime Minister's eye twitched. He was quickly growing annoyed of the President's repetitive offer to help him run his country. He was quite capable of running it himself despite what the President and the papers might think. Times had just been... unlucky.

"While I appreciate the offer, Mister President, England is quite capable of taking care of herself. A mysterious bridge collapsing and a freak hurricane -"

"Don't forget those two unexplained murders and your aid going bananas," added the President in a helpful tone. The Prime Minister found it anything but.

"I did not," said the Prime Minister, close to the edge. "Nonetheless, a series of unfortunate events no one could have foreseen does not mean that we need outside help."

"Yes, but even still," argued the President without any malice. "Events like that would never had happened in -"

The Prime Minister had been about to tell the President just how much he really didn't give a flying flamingo what he thought when a loud cough sounded in the room. It came from the picture hand on the wall behind the desk.

"Did your picture just cough?" asked the President curiously.

"Err..."

For a brief moment, the Prime Minister allowed himself the impossible hope that he and the President had just been hearing things. However, a voice responded at once, a crisp, decisive voice that sounded as though it were reading a prepared statement. It was coming — as the Prime Minister had known the moment he had heard the cough — from the frog-like little man wearing a long silver wig who was depicted in a small, dirty oil painting behind him.

"To the Prime Minister of Muggles. Urgent we meet. Kindly respond immediately. Sincerely, Fudge."

The man in the painting looked inquiringly at the Prime Minister. However, the Prime Minister had his eyes locked on the President. Having never been one to panic or stammer when caught in a sticky situation, the Prime Minister tried his best to prepare himself for whatever reaction his foreign counterpart was about to display. He had expected panic, hysteria, a grand chuckle and the dismissive belief that the talking painting behind the two of them was just a ruse. The Prime Minister, however, had not been expecting -

"Aren't you going to reply?" asked the President before returning to his glass of scotch.

The Prime Minister blinked owlishly. The man in the painting simply looked inquiringly at the Prime Minister.

"Err," said the Prime Minister, glancing warily at the jolly American hogging all of his scotch before finally answering the painting, "listen... Now isn't a very good time... I'm with the President, you see... We're waiting on a call from the President of -"

"That can be rearranged," said the portrait at once. The Prime Minister's heart sank. He had been afraid of that.

"But I really was rather hoping to speak -"

"We shall arrange for the President to forget to call. He will telephone tomorrow night instead," said the little man. "Kindly respond immediately to Mr. Fudge."

"But, but I have a guest!" exclaimed the Prime Minister. He knew he was getting desperate now if he'd rather spend time with the verbose President and apparently so did the man in the painting as he sent the Prime Minister a narrow look.

"I... oh... very well," said the Prime Minister weakly. "Yes, I'll see Fudge."

He took his seat behind his desk, straightening his tie as he did so. The President simply sipped on his scotch nonchalantly in his chair, his face completely at ease when compared to the Prime Minister, when bright green flames burst into life in the empty grate beneath his marble mantelpiece. Both world leaders watched, the Prime Minister trying his best not to flinch instinctively, as a portly man appeared within the flames, spinning as fast as a top. Seconds later, he had climbed out onto a rather fine antique rug, brushing ash from the sleeves of his long pin-striped cloak, a lime-green bowler hat in his hand.

"Ah... Prime Minister," said Cornelius Fudge, striding past the President without a glance, his hand outstretched. "Good to see you again."

The Prime Minister could not honestly return the compliment. He was not remotely pleased to see Fudge, whose occasional appearances, apart from being downright alarming in themselves, generally meant that he was about to hear some very bad news. Furthermore, Fudge was looking distinctly careworn. He was thinner, balder, and grayer, and his face had a crumpled look. The Prime Minister had seen that kind of look in politicians before, and it never boded well nor was it ever a face easy to figure out what to say to. Luckily, the Prime Minister did not have to say anything, for it was at that moment the President decided to insert his foot in his mouth.

"Jeez, buddy," he chuckled startling Fudge who had failed to see him. "You get in a fight with your lady friend?"

"I beg your pardon?" asked Fudge.

"You look like you've been through the mill, pal," said the President, still chuckling as Fudge straightened himself up indignantly.

"Who in Merlin's name are you?"

At that moment, the fire lit up once more and a second man was sent spinning out of it. A taller, much younger, and far more familiar man stepped out onto the rug, wordlessly cleaning the ash from himself and the rug with a single flick of a strange wooden stick protruding from his sleeve.

"Another Muggle world leader," snipped the man towards Fudge before changing his rather harsh persona to a more amicable one while smiling to the President. "Or as you say, No-Maj. Correct, Mister President?"

The President let out another one of his barking laughs.

"Quite right!" he chuckled, raising his scotch to the man before taking another generous sip. "And you are, sir?"

"Carter," answered the Prime Minister, unable to help himself. Out of the two, he had always very much preferred Carter Van Swine over Cornelius Fudge - or as he liked to call Fudge, the _other_ Minister.

The brown haired, young wizard's smile was friendly though undeniably smug as he flicked his wand wordlessly at the windows and door in the office.

"Evening, Rick," he said, offering the Prime Minister his hand in greeting once his wand was put away. "How's the little niece?"

The Prime Minister muttered a response as dread slowly began settling in. Although he found Carter, despite his ability to make morbid and sarcastic comments at the worst of times, an amicable person to be around, he rarely had the pleasure of enjoying his company without Fudge being involved and if Fudge was involved the feeling of dread was inevitable.

"What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?" the Prime Minister asked, gesturing for the two to join the President in the seating area by the fire. He always found it best to skip the formalities with Fudge and to get straight to the point in a manner much like removing a band-aid in one swift motion. It might sting but at least he got it over with.

"Difficult to know where to begin," muttered Fudge, taking his seat awkwardly across from the President and placing his green bowler upon his knees.

"Not really," said Carter, who, unlike Fudge, had always been at ease in the Prime Minister's office and very casually seated himself next to the President. "You could begin anywhere and get to the point. The Brockdale Bridge, Amelia Bones and Vance's murders, the Giants in West Country -"

"You — er — your — I mean to say, some of your people were — were involved in those — those things, were they?"

The President shook his finger in a grandfather manner.

"The Congress would never let such things -"

"Now see here!" interrupted Fudge sternly.

"Shut up, Fudge, you idiot," snapped Carter harshly. Immediately, Fudge shrunk in on himself.

Despite appreciating Carter reprimanding Fudge's rude attitude, the action did not fail in taking the Prime Minister by surprise. Carter had always been more passive (and on some occasions, passive aggressive, the Prime Minister remembered) towards Fudge's rather uncouth and sometimes downright rude attitude. At least, that had been the case when he first met the two, which was an experience the Prime Minister was quite sure he would never forget until his dying day.

He had been standing alone in this very office, savoring the triumph that was his after so many years of dreaming and scheming, when he had heard a cough behind him, just like tonight, and turned to find that ugly little portrait talking to him, announcing that the Minister of Magic was about to arrive and introduce himself.

Naturally, he had thought that the long campaign and the strain of the election had caused him to go mad. He had been utterly terrified to find a portrait talking to him, though this had been nothing to how he felt when Carter had climbed out of the green flames that magically appeared in his fireplace and introduced himself.

A first, the Prime Minister had mistaken Carter for the Minister of Magic. Although he was younger than most politicians, he had been very well spoken and confident in his explanation of witches and wizards still living in secret all over the world and his reassurances that he was not to bother his head about them as the Ministry of Magic took responsibility for the whole Wizarding community and prevented the non-magical population from getting wind of them. He had even been kind enough to wait until the Prime Minister had finished opening and closing his mouth in disbelief to continue on explaining the Minister of Magic's job criteria that encompassed everything from regulations on the responsible use of broomsticks to keeping the dragon population under control. When the Prime Minister had looked all but ready to faint, he remembered Carter patting his shoulder reassuringly.

"It's a lot to take in, believe me," he had said with a chuckle. "But you won't have to deal with any of it and odds are you'll never see me or the Minister again. In fact, we'll only bother you if there's something really serious going on our end, something that's likely to affect the Muggles — the non-magical population, remember? And if it helps, you're taking this a lot better than you predecessor. He tried throwing Fudge out the window."

At this, the Prime Minister had found his voice at last. "Fudge?"

"The Minister of Magic," said Carter before reiterating. "My boss, Cornelius Fudge. He sent me over first to lessen the blow of surprise. Thought it be a good idea due to my... family history."

"Family history?" repeated the Prime Minister.

"Yes," said Carter. "Another piece of politics you need not worry over, Minister. Merlin knows, I wish I didn't have to."

Not having a remote idea what to say to that, the Prime Minister opt to ignore it. Collapsing in his desk chair, he gave Carter one last desperate look.

"You're - you're not a hoax, then?"

"Afraid not, Minister," said Carter. "Look."

And he had turned the Prime Minister's teacup into a gerbil.

"But," said the Prime Minister breathlessly, watching his teacup chewing on the corner of his next speech, "but why — why has nobody told me — ?"

"The Wizarding World is only revealed to the Muggle Prime Minister of the day," said Carter, returning his wand back up his sleeve. "The Ministry finds it the best way to maintain secrecy."

"But then," bleated the Prime Minister, "why hasn't a former Prime Minister warned me -?"

Carter simply raised an eyebrow.

"Prime Minister, are _you_ ever going to tell anybody?"

 _That_ , the Prime Minister had found to be a very fair point.

Fudge arrived later and Carter introduced the two of them. The Prime Minister couldn't deny he had slightly been disappointed to how normal, though oddly dressed, Fudge had been. He had not been nearly as impressive as Carter, but the younger wizard had shown his utmost respect to the man so the Prime Minister had tried to as well.

Of course, that had all begun to change as the years passed and the two wizards' visits became more and more frequent.

The next time he saw them was three years ago after he had finally convinced himself that his meeting with the two self-proclaimed wizards had all been a figment of his imagination. It had been on a night ever much like tonight, the Prime Minister had been on the phone with his distraught little niece who's gerbil, (the same gerbil he had given her that had once been his teacup), had gone missing and all that remained was a teacup - _his_ teacup. That alone had already put his nerves on edge when the portrait behind his desk had once again announced the imminent arrival of Fudge. Carter, however, had once again arrived first, drenched in rainwater.

Unable to help himself, the Prime Minister had asked if their visit was about the gerbil-teacup.

"Err, no," Carter had said questionably before remembering their first encounter. "Did something happen to it?"

"Well, it turned back to a teacup."

"And?"

"I gave it to my niece as a pet but now it's a teacup."

Carter had actually given the Prime Minister, who had just realized how insane this conversation sounded, a sheepish look.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "Despite what some people think, I don't enjoy upsetting little girls. Occupational hazard."

"Yes, well now I have to go to her Shakespeare play to make up for it -"

"Oh, which one?" Carter had cut in eagerly.

The Prime Minister had been startled by Carter's interest in a mundane children's reenactment of Shakespeare but had opted to ignore it when Fudge had arrived, sopping wet and in a state of considerable panic. He was quite glad when the _Other_ Minister finally left so that Carter could explain to him what Fudge had meant in his rabid spew of words about a place called Azkaban, an escaped prisoner, a boy called Harry Potter, and something called Hogwarts.

Of course, after Carter did explain everything, the Prime Minister really wished he could have remained ignorant of it all, especially when Carter decided it would just be best to give him a break down the magical world's history of the last twenty years. He could have spent his whole life not knowing what a Dementor was or who Voldemort (or rather, You-Know-Who as Fudge only referred to him as) was.

To top it off, Carter had somehow tricked him into giving him tickets to his niece's play. He had even shown up, although they never spoke, along with a little girl around his niece's age that had seemed absolutely awestruck by the entirety of the play. The Prime Minister hadn't even found it that well done but the girl had been completely fascinated.

However, that had been the last time he had seen either Carter or Fudge and he had hoped it would remain that way but he knew his luck wasn't that great.

The next time the two arrived - unannounced, the Prime Minister might add - they were both arguing rather adamantly over a girl, the Potter boy, and a supposed sport called Kwidditch (or that was what it had sounded like).

"For the last time, sir," groaned Carter as the two spun into the room from the fireplace. "There is no evidence to say Lestrange cast the Dark Mark with Potter's wand."

"It had to have been her!" huffed Fudge, haphazardly dusting the soot onto the Prime Minister's fancy rug _again_. Unconsciously, Carter waved his wand and cleaned it seconds later.

"You're being bias, sir."

It had been the first time he had ever heard Carter say anything other than praise to Fudge. It was also the first time the two mentioned this Lestrange girl but most certainly not the last. Following the night of what he concluded to be a disastrous Kwidditch World Cup (if the use of phrases like _Death Eaters_ _rallying_ and _Dark Marks_ _scarring the sky_ were anything to go off of) and Fudge informing him of magical creatures being imported for a tournament (three of which being dragons of all things), the slowly becoming fainted hearted Prime Minister found himself seeing the two wizards far too often.

Early morning last Christmas, the Prime Minister found himself being the unwilling ear to a panicking Fudge as he explained, rather wildly, that a mass breakout from Azkaban had taken place the night before. Names such as Dolohov, Rookwood, and Lestrange - Lestrange most of all to the point the Prime Minister was sure there was more than one of them - were thrown about clumsily as Fudge rambled on about some grand scheme planned by Black and a man called Dumbledore to discredit him. Looking down at the all but whining Minister of Magic, the Prime Minister would say it was working.

"And there's no way Lestrange wasn't involved this time!" exclaimed Fudge as he finished his rant. "The girl disappears from Hogwarts days before the breakout of her own relatives _led_ by her cousin -"

"The same cousin that killed one of her close friends right in front of her, sir?" pointed out Carter. "Lestrange doesn't even know her parents, Minister. Not to mention, she's best friends with Harry Potter-"

"Do not mention that lying boy's name in my presence!" hissed Fudge.

Trying to redirect the conversation back to the more important topic at hand, the Prime Minister cleared his throat.

"You mentioned a mass breakout?" he said, ignoring the rude look Fudge shot his way.

"Yes, yes," said Fudge waving the Prime Minister off. "Not to worry, though, not to worry." The look Carter gave him told the Prime Minister that worry was exactly what he should do. "We'll have them all rounded up in no time - hopefully with their fellow conspirators as well."

Fudge was already one foot in the flames when he added, "And perhaps, when it's over I'll be kind enough to make a family cell. Bloody Lestranges."

His disappearance in a wave of green fire was followed immediately by Carter muttering under his breath.

"Wanker."

Now, months later, the two wizards once more stood in front of the Prime Minister. This time, however, dislike was evident between the two and perhaps an inkling of fear on Fudge's part.

"So these disasters," began the President far too pleasantly for the topic at hand. "Y'all magic folk had a hand in it?" He let out a booming chuckle before patting the Prime Minister a bit to harshly on the back in what he was sure was an amicable manner. "See, I told you that you were more competent than everyone else in the world thinks. Shame none of them can know all this nonsense isn't your fault."

The President laughed again. The Prime Minister's eye twitched.

"Right then," said Carter. "Apologies, Mr. President, but this is government affairs - _our_ government affairs."

"Quite right," agreed the President, rising to his feet and grabbing what remained of the Prime Minister's scotch bottle. "I'll just stand in the hall, shan't I? A pleasure meeting you, Mr. Minister."

Shaking Carter's hand much to his and the Prime Minister's amusement (and Fudge's annoyance), the President waddled out of the office. He would no doubt go bother Kingsley Shacklebolt, the only member of the Prime Minister's staff still here at this late hour.

As soon as the door closed behind the President, Carter waved his wand at the door causing it to lock soundly.

"He handles his alcohol a great deal better than the last American I drank with," he said nonchalantly.

"What other American's have you shared a drink with?" asked Fudge rudely.

Carter simply chuckled to himself making Fudge grow nervous again and the Prime Minister curious.

"Prime Minister," said Carter, suddenly become quite serious. "I have the unfortunate job of informing you that Voldemort -" Fudge let out a yelp "- is back."

"Back? When you say 'back'... he's alive? I mean -"

"Yes, alive," said Fudge impatient once more. "That is — I don't know — is a man alive if he can't be killed? I don't really understand it, and Dumbledore won't explain properly — but anyway, he's certainly got a body and is walking and talking and killing, so I suppose, for the purposes of our discussion, yes, he's alive."

The Prime Minister did not know what to say to this, but a persistent habit of wishing to appear well-informed on any subject that came up made him cast around for any details he could remember of their previous conversations.

"Is Serious Black with Vol—" Fudge flinched "er — He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"No," said Carter, suddenly becoming quite grim in the face. "No Sirius Black is not with the Dark Lord. He died protecting... He was killed by the Dark Lord's men. But Sirius Black, as it turns out was never in leagues He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He was a good man."

Fudge snorted only to yelp again as Carter's wand found itself digging into the man's meaty throat.

"Not a good idea, Fudge," hissed Carter before removing his wand from the terrified man's throat. He turned back to the Prime Minister as if nothing had happened.

"Rick, at this point of the war, steps need to be taken."

"The war?" repeated the Prime Minister nervously. "Surely that's a little bit of an overstatement?"

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has now been joined by those of his followers who broke out of Azkaban last Christmas," said Carter, occasionally glaring at a fearful Fudge whenever he dared to move. "Since they have moved into the open, they have been wreaking havoc. The Brockdale Bridge — he did it, Prime Minister, he threatened a mass Muggle killing unless Fudge stood aside for him and —"

"Good grief, so it's _your_ fault those people were killed and I'm having to answer questions about rusted rigging and corroded expansion joints and I don't know what else!" said the Prime Minister furiously, glaring at Fudge almost as harshly as Carter was.

" _My_ fault!" said Fudge, coloring up. "Are you saying you would have caved in to blackmail like that?"

"Maybe not," said the Prime Minister, standing up and striding about the room, "but I would have put all my efforts into catching the blackmailer before he committed any such atrocity!"

"Do you really think I wasn't already making every effort?" demanded Fudge heatedly. "Every Auror in the Ministry was — and is — trying to find him and round up his followers, but we happen to be talking about one of the most powerful wizards of all time, a wizard who has eluded capture for almost three decades!"

"So I suppose you're going to tell me he caused the hurricane in the West Country too?" said the Prime Minister, his temper rising with every pace he took. It was infuriating to discover the reason for all these terrible disasters and not to be able to tell the public, almost worse than it being the government's fault after all.

"No, that was Death Eaters and perhaps giants as well," said Carter calmly.

The Prime Minister stopped in his tracks as though he had hit an invisible wall. " _What_ involvement?"

Fudge grimaced. "He used giants last time when he wanted to go for the grand effect," he said. "The Office of Misinformation has been working around the clock, we've had teams of Obliviators out trying to modify the memories of all the Muggles who saw what really happened, we've got most of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures running around Somerset, but we can't find the giant — it's been a disaster."

"You don't say!" said the Prime Minister furiously.

"I understand the frustration," said Carter. "But unlike Fudge, the rest of the Ministry is trying to all of Great Britain safe. Unfortunately, with so many of our leaders being murdered, like Amelia Bones and Emmeline Vance -"

"But both of those murders made the newspapers," said the Prime Minister, momentarily diverted from his anger. " _Our_ newspapers."

"Some of us do live in Muggle communities, you know," said Carter. "After all, there's only oh so many flats in Diagon Alley and they're not cheap."

"Not that anyone would want to live there," said Fudge darkly. "What, with all the Dementors swarming all over the place, attacking people left, right, and center..."

Once upon a happier time, this sentence would have been unintelligible to the Prime Minister, but he was wiser now.

"I thought Dementors guard the prisoners in Azkaban," he said cautiously.

"They did," said Carter. "But not anymore. They've deserted the prison and joined Dark Lord. I won't pretend that some of us saw that coming. Unfortunately, others don't like hearing the truth all that much."

Another pointed look was sent Fudge's way. The man had the decency of looking ashamed.

"But," said the Prime Minister, with a sense of dawning horror, "didn't you tell me they're the creatures that drain hope and happiness out of people?"

"Yes," said Carter grimly. "And they're breeding. That's what's causing all this mist."

The Prime Minister sank, weak-kneed, into the nearest chair. The idea of invisible creatures swooping through the towns and countryside, spreading despair and hopelessness in his voters, made him feel quite faint.

"Now see here, Fudge — you've got to do something! It's your responsibility as Minister of Magic!"

"Fudge is no longer the Minister of Magic," said Carter, smug once again. "He was sacked three days ago, what, with the whole Wizarding community has been screaming for his resignation for a fortnight. I don't think I've ever seen them so united in his entire term of office."

The Prime Minister was momentarily lost for words.

"I'm very sorry," he said finally, though he could exactly say he meant it. He really didn't like Fudge. "If there's anything I can do?"

"It's very kind of you, Prime Minister, but there is nothing," said Fudge. "Carter and I were sent here tonight to bring you up to date on recent events and to introduce you to my successor. I rather thought he'd be here by now, but of course, he's very busy at the moment, with so much going on."

Fudge looked around at the portrait of the ugly little man wearing the long curly silver wig, who was digging in his ear with the point of a quill. Catching Fudge's eye, the portrait said, "He'll be here in a moment, he's just finishing a letter to Dumbledore."

"I wish him luck," said Fudge, sounding bitter. "I've been writing to Dumbledore twice a day for the past fortnight, but he won't budge. If he'd just been prepared to persuade the boy, I might still be-"

"You wouldn't be," cut in Carter. "And not even Dumbledore could persuade Potter to help you, not with what you did to _his_ girl."

Fudge cringed.

"Well, maybe Scrimgeour will have more success."

"Also doubtful," muttered Carter just as the flames in the grate turned emerald green again, rose up, and revealed a third spinning wizard in their heart, disgorging him moments later onto the antique rug.

Fudge and Carter both got to their feet and, after a moment's hesitation, the Prime Minister did the same, watching the new arrival straighten up, dust down his long black robes, and look around.

The Prime Minister's first, foolish thought was that Rufus Scrimgeour looked rather like an old lion. There were streaks of gray in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy, loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp. There was an immediate impression of shrewdness and toughness; the Prime Minister thought he understood why the Wizarding community preferred Scrimgeour to Fudge as a leader in these dangerous times.

"How do you do?" said the Prime Minister politely, holding out his hand.

Scrimgeour grasped it briefly, his eyes scanning the room, then looked directly at Carter.

"Is the room secured?"

"Yes, Minister," said Carter in the same respectful tone the Prime Minister remembered him using for Fudge what seemed like a long time ago. "Kingsley is outside supervising the President."

"President?" repeated Scrimgeour, his eyes still scanning the room like a predator.

"The Prime Minister had a meeting with him tonight," said Carter. "They were going to call another Muggle World Leader on the telephone."

Scrimgeour sniffed at this.

"Muggle technology," he huffed. Finally finding the room satisfying, he turned back to the Prime Minister. "Now, about Herbert Chorley, your Junior Minister, the one who has been entertaining the public by impersonating a duck.

"He has clearly reacted to a poorly-performed Imperius Curse," said Scrimgeour. "It's addled his brains, but he could still be dangerous."

"He's only quacking!" said the Prime Minister weakly. "Surely a bit of a rest... Maybe go easy on the drink..."

"A team of Healers from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries are examining him as we speak. So far he has attempted to strangle three of them," said Scrimgeour. "I think it best that we remove him from Muggle society for a while."

"I... well... He'll be all right, won't he?" said the Prime Minister anxiously.

When Scrimgeour merely shrugged and started moving back toward the fireplace, Carter added, "We're doing our best for him."

"Well, that's really all I had to say," said Scrimgeour. "I will keep you posted of developments, Prime Minister — or, at least, I shall probably be too busy to come personally, in which case I shall send Fudge here. He has consented to stay on in an advisory capacity."

Fudge attempted to smile, but was unsuccessful; he merely looked as though he had a toothache. Scrimgeour was already rummaging in his pocket for the mysterious powder that turned the fire green. The Prime Minister gazed hopelessly at the pair of them for a moment, then the words he had fought to suppress all evening burst from him at last.

"But for heaven's sake — you're _wizards_! You can do _magic_! Surely you can sort out — well — _anything_!"

Scrimgeour turned slowly on the spot and exchanged an incredulous look with Carter, who winced, and Fudge, who really did manage a smile this time as he said kindly, "The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister."

And with that, the Fudge and Scrimgeour stepped one after the other into the bright green fire and vanished, leaving Carter and the Prime Minister behind.

"Well," said Carter. "On a happier note, I've got a wedding to attend between a werewolf and a pink haired, shapeshifter."

The Prime Minister buried his head in his hand, wishing with all his might that President hadn't finished all his scotch. Merlin knew he needed now more than ever.

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Two months late but here it is! The Sixth book to the Alexis Lestrange series! It took forever to start but hopefully, updates will be faster as I've finally gotten past the boring beginning. The President used as a very loose base towards the fictional President is Bush, who was President at the time. I'm pretty sure the Prime Minister at the time of the sixth book was a woman so clearly this Prime Minister is OC and may also make a reappearance later. Because, well, why not? Next chapter is the wedding!

Request:

With elections happening this year, I'm very curious to see what people outside of the U.S. Think of our candidates. Please mention in your reviews who you like or dislike and why. If you're from the U.S. like me feel free to give your opinion as well. I'm quite interested in knowing everyone's thoughts!

Please Review!

DCF


	2. The Werewolf and the Shapeshifter

6 Chapter 2: The Werewolf and the Shapeshifter

Sorry for the delay! No good excuse but school and life!

The chapter is a bit of a filler/second intro. Very short

New poll has been added to my profile on who Alexis's father is. Please vote!

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6 Chapter 2: The Werewolf and the Shapeshifter

Let it never be said that wizard families were normal - especially if that family was the Weasleys.

Living in a rickety house seven stories tall with the ground floor much smaller than those above so that it could only still be standing due to magic, the family of seven red heads were known for being verbose, strong headed, rowdy, and proud. But their hearts were made of gold, a fact that never ceased to amaze a certain raven haired witch.

Mr. Weasley was a jolly kind of man that had the kind of personality someone could only dislike if they really tried. The head of the family, he worked a funny job in the Ministry of Magic's Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, a job which the bifocaled man thoroughly enjoyed. For Mr. Weasley, despite his Pureblood status, had a love for the Muggle World that came second only to his love for his friends and family.

Just like her husband, Mrs. Weasley held a great deal of love for those she cared about. Her sons, of course, always found it to be a smothering amount of love (and not to mention worry), but would never complain when it came to the amount of mouth-watering food their plump mother broke her back over or the carefully knitted sweaters full of love they never failed to receive each Christmas. Mrs. Weasley was a caregiver without a doubt and, if you weren't careful, she'll add you to the family before you knew it like she had Alexis and her best friends - not that they were complaining.

Much like both his parents, the eldest Weasley son was a hard worker. However, unlike his parents, Bill was openly described as cool by his younger siblings. With his shoulder length red hair and dragon tooth earring, it was hard for the Gringotts Curse Breaker not to be seen as such. His lovely coworker and French girlfriend, Fleur Delacour, who had white blonde locks of beautiful hair that clearly pronounced her Veela heritage, helped of course.

Naturally, Charlie, the second eldest Weasley boy, would always say he was quite content with his dragons for the time being when trying to avoid his mother's attempts at playing matchmaker. The young Dragon Trainer was rather fond of the Lovegood family, one of the Weasley's wizard family neighbors, particularly Luna, a dreamy-eyed witch and one of Alexis's close friends in the class below her. The two friends could go on endlessly discussing magical creatures and never realize how much time had past.

Of course, Fred and George, being the twin pranksters that they were, would always be willing to inform them just how much time they wasted yammering on about what they would call nonsense. The two twins and now successful business partners were all but attached at the hips unless it came to their girlfriends. George, although more reserved than his older-by-mere-minutes brother, was quite smitten with his girlfriend and Alexis's old Quidditch team captain, Angelina Johnson. Fred, on the other hand, had stolen the heart of one of Alexis's closest friend, Hermione Granger, a bookish, Muggleborn witch who was by far the most brilliant person Alexis had ever met.

The youngest of the Weasleys, Ron, had been in Alexis's class. He, Hermione, and Alexis, along with Alexis's best friend, had all been very close before his murder. Now, Alexis could say he had taken a special place in her head.

' _You're hilarious,_ ' muttered Ron at Alexis's ill joke to herself.

' _I blame Carter for her sense of humor_ ,' added Tomas McPherson, teasingly. ' _He's such a bad influence.'_

 _'Right,'_ scoffed Cedric. _'It couldn't be your fault. You didn't raise her or anything_.'

' _Oi_ ,' snapped McPherson with good nature. ' _It's not polite to talk ill of the dead you know. Pick on Ginger instead.'_

 _'He's dead too, old man_.'

Alexis laughed lightly to herself as her three friends continued to bicker amicably in her head. Carefully, she removed her bridesmaid dress from its hanger. Hermione, like Mrs. Weasley and apparently everyone else, had been dressed for hours now so it was only Alexis left to get ready. She had spent most of the late evening writing her last letter to Harry, her best friend, hoping it would reach him before he was picked up for the wedding by Dumbledore himself.

"You think he'll make it on time?" Alexis asked aloud as she slipped on her dress quickly.

' _You think Ron's mum would let him miss it?_ ' asked Cedric. ' _Not even Dumbledore is foolish enough to show up late for a wedding Mrs. Weasley planned_.'

' _Merlin himself wouldn't want to end up on my mum's wrong side,'_ laughed Ron _. 'Harry will be there and Dumbledore will be sure of it_.'

Alexis smiled before moving to the mirror. She smiled shyly at her reflection that looked back at her in a lovely dress. Originally it was to be pink but after Alexis and Hermione had pleaded with Tonks to make the dresses _any_ color other than pink, the bride had chosen elegant purple.

"Well?" she asked, brushing a loose strand of wavy black hair out of in front of her bright green eyes. "Not too bad."

' _All grown up,_ ' said McPherson quietly. ' _You look great, Hex._ '

' _Bloody amazing,_ ' added Ron.

' _Potter is going to lose it,_ ' laughed Cedric.

"Good," she replied before heading downstairs.

The wedding between Remus John Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks would begin shortly at exactly midnight that night. Perfectly planned on the night of a new moon, Alexis bit her lip to keep from smiling too brightly as she saw the bright stars lighting the sky above the arch the Weasley boys had built especially for the occasion. Even from the window, Alexis could see the moon flowers shining a whitish silver in the dim lights hung in the arch and the white pews as they slowly filled with the guest.

The night looked as if it were to be perfect. The groom was a loving man, with a kind smile and the most caring heart Alexis had ever seen. Remus's only flaw would ever be how inadequate he thought himself to be because of his lycanthropy. Alexis loved him like she would a father... A topic of later discussion.

' _Well, he could_ -' started Ron.

"Not right now, Tails," hissed Alexis, who would rather not waste a beautiful evening trying to figure out who may or may not be her father. Her family issues were strange enough as they were, with her mother being Bellatrix Lestrange, the Dark Lord's most loyal follower. She really didn't need to debate whether or not Remus was her father and if he was then marrying her first cousin.

"There you are, Hex!" exclaimed Tonks.

Alexis sent a trademark grin to the blushing bride as she paced in a frenzy through the living room. Bemused looks were on both Hermione and Mrs. Weasley's face as Tonks, clothed in an elegant white dress that demanded grace and refinement, tumbled over to her cousin like the klutz she was.

"Am I late?" asked Alexis.

"No, not really," said Tonks, hugging her. "But Molly and Hermione are just being _dreadful_. They won't peek outside."

"How horrible," quipped Alexis. She let out a mock cry when Tonks swatted her arm.

"Wanker."

"I do my best," Alexis said with a laugh. "Has Harry arrived?"

"He bloody well better have," huffed Tonks before stumbling over to the couch. "We're not starting until all the best men are here."

"Fred said he thought he saw Dumbledore arrive a few minutes ago," pointed out Hermione. "I'm sure Harry's just getting ready now or-"

There was a knock on the door. Mrs. Weasley opened it just a crack so that no one could see inside.

"Yes?" she said with a smile quickly gracing her lips.

"You look quite lovely, Molly," rumbled the voice of Mr. Weasley. "Are you sure I can whisk you away after this wedding?"

"Yes, I'm sure my husband would put up quite a fight to keep me," laughed Mrs. Weasley.

"Shame," sighed Mr. Weasley. "Wouldn't want to mess with that man. Fierce with a wand I've heard."

Much to Alexis, Hermione, and Tonks amusement, Mrs. Weasley giggled girlishly before remembering she wasn't alone. The Weasley Matriarch cleared her throat.

"What is it that you need, Arthur?" she asked, a light blush creeping on to her face.

"We're ready to begin," answered Mr. Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley opened the door at this. Wordlessly, everyone got into positions as they had nights before in practice. Ted Tonks, the blushing bride's father, entered the room with tearful eyes followed closely behind by his wife, Andromeda.

Every time Andromeda Tonks née Black entered the room, Alexis was forced to do a double-take. Her aunt had a striking resemblance to her younger sister Bellatrix and it was quite off putting for Alexis. It was one of the reasons why Alexis had avoided speaking privately with Andromeda after how dreadful her first and last conversation with her mother had gone.

"Come on, Hex," whispered Hermione, ushering her best friend out of the house to pair up with their groomsmen. "It's almost time."

"Yeah," said Alexis, squinting ahead, "and I only see Kingsley and Swine up there. I swear, if Prongs is late, I'll -"

Her words were drowned out by a cry in surprise as Alexis suddenly found herself being twirled around into someone's arms.

"You'll what, Padfoot?" teased a certain bifocaled young man.

"Harry James Potter," chided Alexis, "do that again and you'll see exactly what I'll do."

But all attempts at being serious with her threat were washed away when Harry smiled adoringly at his best friend. He gave Alexis an affectionate peck on the cheek.

"You look quite lovely," said Harry.

"And you don't look half bad yourself," smiled Alexis.

"Oh, well, thank you, Lestrange."

"Anytime, Potter."

"You two," said Hermione, rolling her eyes and cutting off what would no doubt be a series of flirtatious insults. "We have a wedding to attend."

The three friends continued their way over to Kingsley Shacklebolt and Carter Swine standing just behind the last pews.

"Are we all ready to begin?" asked Kingsley with a smile. Alexis had always liked the kind Auror.

"Just waiting on Mrs. Weasley and the bride, I think," said Hermione.

"Wonderful," said Carter sarcastically before cringing. "Sorry about that. Not a fan of weddings."

"Says the best man," teased Alexis.

"Oh, bite me, Jinx," replied Carter.

"I'd rather not deal with the crying," countered Alexis.

"I'm going to knock you upside the head, you little -"

"Ah, weddings!" said Mrs. Weasley as she hurried over to the group, effectively silencing Carter and Alexis's bantering that only sounded aggressive because the two didn't know how else to show their fondness for each other. "Everyone ready to begin?"

A chorus of yeses - and both Alexis and Carter sticking their tongues out at each other - filled the air before everyone pair up to lead the procession. Harry took Alexis's arm as Kingsley respectfully took Hermione's and the best man and maid of honor locked arms.

"I can't believe Remus and Tonks are getting married!" whispered Alexis as the music began playing with one flick of Mrs. Weasley's wand.

Harry laughed softly.

"I can't believe I'm a groomsman. And I don't think we can call Tonks, well, Tonks, much longer."

"What else would we call her?" asked Alexis as Hermione and Kingsley led the way down the aisle.

"Nymphadora?" offered Harry as it became their turn to move.

Alexis glanced around the pews at the guest. Every member of the Order was present as well as every immediate member of the Weasley family save for one: Percy.

"No thank you," said Alexis. "I value my life."

Harry bit back a chuckle at that. No one called Tonks by her first name save for a handful of people.

"Who's that?" asked Alexis.

She suddenly realized she had no idea who one guest was as she had never seen the man before in her life. A fat, old man in respectable green robes with an enormous, silver, walruslike mustache stood excitedly next to the Weasley twins. It seemed that he had been caught in the middle of a conversation with the two when the music had begun as he kept whispering last minute bits to the grinning Fred and George.

"Horace Slughorn," answered Harry quietly. "He came with me and Professor Dumbledore."

"But who is he?" pressed Alexis.

"No clue, really," shrugged Harry and the topic was dropped.

Alexis caught sight of Remus awkwardly standing under the arch looking nervous as he waited for his bride. Alexis smiled brightly and Remus returned it with a look that almost could be described as a grimace.

' _Someone's nervous,'_ pointed out Ron.

' _Well, it is a wedding_ ,' said Cedric. 'His _wedding_.'

' _Hush you two_ ,' reprimanded Alexis just as she and Harry broke apart to take their sides of the arch. She had the perfect view of Remus's face lighting up despite all his nerves at the sight of Tonks being led down the aisle by her father.

 _'Have you ever seen two people love each other so much_?' Alexis asked as the two loved ones took hands under the arch and the wedding began.

McPherson answered with a very quiet, ' _Twice_.'

Alexis had the feeling it would be best not to ask. Instead, she watched as Remus and Tonks exchanged their vows. Remus's were short but unbelievably sweet. Tonks' however, struck home.

"When you are old, I will make you feel young," Tonks began. Alexis, no doubt like Harry, immediately remembered when Remus had first tried to argue he wasn't good enough for Tonks. By the way Remus's green eyes lit up, so did he as Tonks continued: "When you are broken I will make you feel whole. And when you are dangerous, I will make you feel safe. I love you Remus Lupin."

"Then, with the power invested in me, I pronounce you husband and -"

Remus smiled a tearful smile at his wife before pulling her into a kiss. The twins let out loud wolf whistles while everyone else cheered.

"- wife. I suppose you could kiss her again now."

When Remus and Tonks finally broke apart, Remus looked flushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry," said Remus, his neck red from blushing. "I couldn't wait any longer."

Tonks could only laugh joyfully before kissing her husband once more.

* * *

Cheesy chapter, I know but it just would not write. I'm sorry for the long absence but college and life got a hold of me and held me hostage. Good news is my grades are phenomenal and my train of life is back on track. I'll try to post another chapter much sooner this time!

Review Responses:

 **LittleAngel01385:** you share an opinion with a large portion of the US. Fear not, it will work out in the end

 **99redbloons:** I'm glad you liked the changes. I really enjoyed writing the Prime Minister, so much so that I might have him reappear. My muse kind of died thanks to school but I found her again!

 **sandflight:** Happy late Birthday!

 **gossamermouse101:** Carter is pretty tight with the Prime Minister with his background and everything

 **HazelVex:** He knows. That's why he's always smirking

 **Goddess of Leo:** Well... Sorry

 **lizyeh2000:** thank you! Action is a few chapters away unfortunately

 **Alice:** Well, you're pretty right there. However, history wise, Trump also made history by being the first elected president without any political background. How everything else plays out is yet to be seen though.

 **Beyond Redemption:** I actually brought what you said about Trump up in my politics class and we spent a whole week discussing how much other countries effect the US elections. It was quite interesting despite the five-page paper we had to write on it afterward (thanks for that).

 **Toolazytologin** : yeah, sorry about that. Here's that update!

 **stephanie . rebecca91:** not too much Hex in this chapter either I'm afraid. Had to get a few details out first (like the wedding)

 **Ingridie:** most accurate description of the world's view of our election this year. I assure you, however, you are going to be safe and well. The end of the world is still far from now

 **Guest1:** you're welcome

 **Guest2:** sorry for the delay

 **rita . matias98:** It'll be alright still, don't worry. The sun will keep coming up and going down as it did before. Here's some more Alexis to read

 **WhovianGeronimo:** lol that's a good description of him though he looks more like a Raxacoricofallapatorian. The toupee is a piece of his soul? Lol that could be a fanfic right there

 **WheresDaBeef:** a fair view

 **mwinter1:** he was. Now he's with his best friend

 **Dare queen:** the wedding, as promised!

 **PandaBear121:** Carter has an interesting background is what it means. I've thrown a few hints out in every book but soon I'll tell it

 **EmoOwlQueen** : personally, I'm not a lesser of two evils kind of person. Why not just the not evil one?

 **Guest3:** that's cool

 **Raven that flies at night:** I miss him too. RIP Sirius

 **Avid reader:** this review kick my butt into gear so thank you.

Thanks again for everyone that shared their opinion on the US election. My politics class in college focused on it and if that class taught me anything it was that I detest politics with a fiery passion of three thousand suns. It's also the main reason I had no free time this semester but I'm back for the break!

New question: How is Berlin in the winter/spring time? I've been approved to study abroad next semester there so any info would be awesome!

Please review!

DCF


	3. To Start a New Year

Twice as long as the last chapter to make up for its shortness. Enjoy!

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6 Chapter 3: To Start a New Year

Alexis never thought she would enjoy weddings but last night had proved her wrong. She had had a grand time with all her friends celebrating Remus and Tonks' marriage. They had celebrated the two's union long after the sun had made its way over the horizon and it was nearly noon by the time Alexis, haggard and tired but quite pleased, stumbled up the stairs of the Burrow to her and Hermione's shared bedroom with Harry at her side.

"I'll see you when you wake up, Hex," yawned her best friend, tossing his outer dress robe over his shoulder after kissing Alexis's cheek.

Alexis hummed a response in an attempt to fight back her own yawn. She watched briefly as the messy haired teen continued steadily up the next flight of stairs whistling softly to himself.

Alexis grinned before moving towards the door of her room only to stop when she heard someone inside.

"Should I be jealous of you and Shacklebolt?" teased the familiar voice of Fred Weasley. Hermione's laughter followed shortly afterward.

"Fred, Kingsley is twice our age!" laughed Hermione.

"Oh, on a first name bases, are we?" joked Fred. Alexis could practically hear him grin. "Now I'm definitely jealous - madly so."

"Honestly Fred," giggled Hermione. "There's only one wizard I have eyes for and that's you."

"Good," said Fred sounding quite smug. "Because I'd hate for the witch I love to have eyes for someone else."

"I love you too, Fred."

Alexis choked in surprised as the word love fell so easily from her friend's lips. She had always found the word ridiculous when used romantically - even when used by the adults in her life - although she spoke it quite often herself when talking about her friends. But to hear her best female friend say I love you so casually yet with the same level of truth Alexis heard in Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's voice had Alexis shellshocked.

Apparently, her bafflement was not as silent as she had hoped for. After a quick whisper, the soft crack of apperation filled the air.

Carefully, Alexis opened the door to find Hermione sitting alone on her bed looking flush.

"Err, oh, hello," smiled Hermione, who's blush did not help Alexis feel better at all. "Did, did you just leave the party?"

"Yeah," said Alexis awkwardly. She couldn't help herself as she stared at the bookworm. "Me and Harry just... left."

"Oh," said Hermione, "Fred and I left after Remus and Tonks."

"That's... nice," said Alexis, blinking a few times as if she couldn't believe Hermione was the person standing across from her. "I'm... I'm going to go to bed now."

"Me too," squeaked Hermione. "Night!"

Hermione then hid her face in her pillow and began to pretend Alexis wasn't there.

It was probably for the best. Alexis was still staring at her for quite awhile later, wondering what in Merlin's name could have possessed her friend.

 _'Merlin help me_ ,' muttered McPherson in his usual tone that promised foreshadowing. This, above all, did not help Alexis one bit.

.

It was a week later, long after Alexis had buried the uncomfortable thoughts of love in the dark caverns of her mind and a day after Harry's sixteenth birthday, that the trios O.W.L.s and school lists arrived along with grievous news.

The members of the Order that had been present for the Department of Mysteries months prior - save for Remus and Tonks, who were still on their honeymoon - were all enjoying a pleasant afternoon inside the cramped yet homey living room of the Burrow when three identical Hogwarts owls arrived. As Alexis and Harry, for Hermione had wondered off only moments earlier with Fred for one reason or another, both reached for their letters, a grizzly looking man with mismatched eyes, a metal leg, and a scarred face that seemed stuck in a constant growl reentered from the kitchen.

"Igor Karkaroff is dead," growled Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, Alexis's legal guardian and retired Auror.

"Ohhhh nooo," said Alexis slowly and deliberately. She did not even bother to look up from her letter until Mr. Weasley cleared his throat. Everyone in the Burrow was looking at her.

"What?" Alexis asked honestly. "He was a coward and a Death Eater."

No one could disagree with Alexis there. Not only had Igor Karkaroff been a Death Eater, but after the fall of Voldemort he had weaseled his way out of Azkaban by turning on his fellow Death Eaters. He had been on the run from the Dark Lord for over a year now. Alexis was surprised the man had lasted that long.

"There is no love loss," grunted Viktor Krum as he joined the throng in the Burrow's living room. "Headmaster Karkaroff vas not a gud man nor vill he be missed."

"Or mourned," growled Moody, his magical blue eye on a constant swivel while his real one stayed locked on Alexis. "Now share your O.W.L. results, lass. Merlin knows they'll be higher than last time around."

"Like you haven't already read them," teased Alexis. She was just about to return to her letter when Hermione bursted into the room looking breathless.

"Are they here?" she asked, breathing deeply.

With a soft chuckle, Mr. Weasley handed Hermione the remaining letter just as Fred arrived. Alexis, grinning at a smirking Harry, returned to her own results:

 **Ordinary Wizarding Level Results**

 _ **Pass Grades**_

Outstanding (O) Exceeds Expectations (E) Acceptable (A)

 _ **Fail Grades**_

Poor (P) Dreadful (D) Troll (T)

 _ **Alexis Lestrange has achieved:**_

Ancient Runes E

Astronomy O

Care of Magical Creatures O

Charms O

Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Divination O

Herbology E

History of Magic A

Potions O*

Transfiguration O

 _* This exam was not taken in the recent O.W.L. Examination results shown were scored prior_.

"Well," said Alexis with a sigh, "I still only barely passed History."

Harry snorted.

"At least you passed it." He handed Alexis his results. "Trade you?"

"Sure," said Alexis, swapping parchments with her best friend.

 _ **Harry James Potter has achieved:**_

Astronomy E

Care of Magical Creatures E

Charms E

Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Divination P

Herbology E

History of Magic P

Potions E

Transfiguration O

"I didn't know you were so good at Transfigurations," Alexis said bluntly.

"I didn't either," said Harry, taking no offense. A sly smile slid on his lips. "But, I may have pulled a Hermione and written four extra pages on the question involving Animagi."

Both Alexis and Harry turned to their bookish friend ready for her playful shot back. When Hermione failed to respond with anything but a blank stare at her O.W.L. results the two grew concerned.

"Everything alright, Hermione, dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley, returning at last from the kitchen with a tray of drinks.

Hermione nodded her head mutely.

"'Ow did you do, 'ermione?" inquired Fleur, sitting cozily next to Bill, who had only purposed to her three nights ago. Her elegant yet simple diamond ring shined in the window light.

"I did... alright," said Hermione, finally looking away from her results.

Fred snatched the parchment right from her hands.

"All Outstandings," he said with a small chuckle. "Yes, I supposed that's alright, love."

The living room filled with a pleasant choirs of laughter at that and only grew when Hermione playfully punched her boyfriend's arm.

"Cedric scored the same," smiled Amos Diggory, Cedric's father. "Hard to believe that was four years ago. I think I told everyone from the Minister to Florean... Excuse me."

Amos disappeared into the kitchen but not before Alexis saw his smile become forced. The back door opened and closed and the living room became silent.

"I'll go talk to him," volunteered Kingsley, standing up nearly immediately after Amos had left. "Now that Florean is gone, I can only imagine what he's going through."

"No," said Mr. Weasley, gesturing for Kingsley to sit down as he stood instead. "I'll go. I don't have to imagine." He followed Amos's path into the kitchen and out the back door.

The silence returned to the room. Alexis snuck a glance at each Weasley still in the room, curious and worried about their reaction to their Patriarch's wordless mentioning of Ron. Bill was the one worth the most concern as he had been closest to his little brother. Ron's death had not sat easy with him and Bill had yet to forgive Percy for shutting everyone out upon discovering his baby brother was gone forever - not that Percy had made any attempt to rekindle his relationship with his family. The third Weasley son was an avid Ministry supporter.

But Bill, like the rest of his family, was now handling Ron's death much better. He still had a grim, pained look to him every once in a while when he thought too much on the topic but they were far and few. Alexis credited Fleur for that.

"Florean?" asked Harry, breaking the returned silence. "As in, Florean Fortescue, the ice-cream shop owner?"

"The very same," said Kingsley, sitting back down. "He was Amos's brother-in-law."

"Was?" repeated Hermione.

"He's missing," said Charlie.

"More like he got dragged off by the shape of his shop," growled Moody. "Blasted Death Eaters no doubt."

"But he was so nice!" exclaimed Alexis.

"War doesn't care how nice you are, Jinx."

Alexis turned around. Standing in the doorway to the kitchen with his work robes already tossed over his arm was Carter Swine. He looked exhausted. When he seated himself between Viktor and Kingsley on the couch and retrieved one of the glasses Mrs. Weasley had made he looked truly grateful.

After a long sip of his drink, Carter spoke once more. "And he's not the only one missing. I was just on call in Diagon Alley. Ollivander is gone."

"The wand maker?" asked Hermione, looking startled. "But he's -"

"Gone," cut in Carter. "I'm in charge of the investigation, thanks to lovely new Minister, and checked the store myself. There wasn't any sign of a struggle so maybe he ran instead but Ollivander is still gone and we haven't a clue where to."

Silence once again. Alexis shifted in her seat.

"How is the new Minister?" she asked.

"Rufus Scrimgeour is Cornelius Fudge's bipolar opposite," supplied Carter.

"I like him already."

"You shouldn't," Carter, Kingsley, and Moody said in unison.

"Fudge was an idiot but he wasn't a fight-fire-with-Fiendfyre kind of guy like Scrimgeour," explained Carter. "And he's after Harry just as much as Fudge was."

Harry opened his mouth to speak but Kinsley beat him to it.

"Not to slander you again, Harry," he said quickly. "No doubt you've seen the papers and what they've been calling you?"

Harry blushed, clearly uncomfortable.

"The Chosen One," sang Fred and George to Harry's distaste.

"Basically, the Minister is using propaganda again," said Carter. "He wants you on his side as a boast for morale. Do you know anything about American World War II propaganda? Because your his Rosie the Riveter."

"His what?" asked Harry as Alexis found herself and Hermione the only ones laughing at Carter poor joke.

"That's not even the funny part," continued Carter. "He plans on getting you on the Ministry's side through Jinx here."

Alexis's laughter ceased immediately.

"Me? I hate the Ministry!" She huffed. "They tried giving me to Death Eaters!"

"After trying to remove you from my custody, lass," added Moody.

"After accusing you of helping an escaped prisoner into Hogwarts," pointed out Hermione.

"After saying you opened up the Chamber of Secrets," chimed in the twins.

"After sending wizards to kill you," added Harry.

"After voting to have you killed as an infant," finished Carter impatiently. "Which is all the reason more why they want to get on the two of your good sides. Look around. The people in your life..."

He pointed at Moody.

"Reinstated and put in charge of the 'Potter Guard' as well as Death Eater activity," he pointed at Kinsley, "promoted and a member of the 'Potter Guard', same as Tonks," Viktor, "'Potter Guard' and fully instated in Great Britain's Auror Corps without so much as a waiting period. Not to mention Arthur finally gets his well deserved promotion and raise by the Minister himself minutes after its slipped to him that you two see him as an uncle-father figure in your lives. They're buttering you up now, especially when they learned the hard way that they can't scare you."

Alexis snorted in disbelief but it was Harry that spoke.

"What is 'Potter Guard'?" he asked uneasily.

"You and your friends have been assigned Aurors and other trusted wizards to watch over you in unsecured locations," answered Kingsley. "The Potter Guard, as dubbed by Carter. We're also in charge of keeping an eye on Hogwarts as extra security."

"Great, more babysitters!" said Alexis with false enthusiasm. "Anything else we should know?"

"Yes," growled Moody. "Potter needs to check his letter again. He missed his Quidditch Captain pin."

.

The next day, Alexis, Harry, and Hermione found themselves being escorted to Diagon Alley by members of the Potter Guard as promised. Rubeus Hagrid, a half-giant and the grounds keeper at Hogwarts, and Carter (much to Alexis's displeasure) were assigned.

"It's so nice not to have to be Polyjuiced," sighed Carter as they filled the short distance between them and the entrance to Diagon Alley from the car they had just exited. "What do you think, Jinx?"

"I think I would have preferred it if one of those Muggle cars had hit you," said Alexis.

"Hex!" cried Hermione but her reprimand failed when her lip began twitching towards a smile like everyone else's.

The group made their way into the Leaky Cauldron full of mirth only for it to falter at the sight of the tavern. For the first time in Alexis's memory, the Leaky Cauldron was completely empty. Only Tom the owner, elderly and balding more than ever, remained. He looked almost surprised to see people enter, but before he could speak, "Jus' passin' through, Tom, sure yeh understand, Hogwarts business, yeh know."

Tom nodded gloomily and returned to wiping glasses. Carter comforted him with the promise of returning for a warm bowl of soup and a butterbeer before the group continued on their way out into the chilly little courtyard at the back where the dustbins stood.

"Think we could join you for some soup and butterbeer?" Alexis asked. She couldn't help but to feel sorry for how sad the old bar-hand had looked.

"Maybe some treacle tart as well," mused Harry on the same wavelength.

"Or steak," piped in Hermione, ignoring, like everyone else, the only reason she wanted meat so much was because of the accident in their third year.

"The more the merrier," said Carter sarcastically despite everyone knowing he really didn't mind the company. "But the Leaky Cauldron isn't the only place like this."

"What do you mean?"

Carter simply gestured forward. Hagrid raised his pink umbrella and rapped a certain brick in the wall, which opened at once to form an archway onto a winding cobbled street. They stepped through the entrance and paused, looking around.

Diagon Alley had changed. The colorful, glittering window displays of spellbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind the large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them. Most of these somber purple posters carried blown-up versions of the security advice on the Ministry pamphlets that had been sent out over the summer, but others bore moving black-and-white photographs of Death Eaters known to be on the loose. Alexis had to take a double take at the picture of her mother, Bellatrix Lestrange, sneering from the front of the nearest apothecary as it looked freakishly similar to her.

"I need a haircut," muttered Alexis, subconsciously straightening her hair with her hand so it resembled her mother's crazy rat nest less. Harry saw this and stopped it by taking Alexis's hand in his own.

A few windows were boarded up, including those of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. On the other hand, a number of shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street. The nearest one, which had been erected outside Flourish and Blotts, under a striped, stained awning, had a cardboard sign pinned to its front:

 _ **AMULETS - Effective Against Werewolves, Dementors, and Inferi**_

A seedy-looking little wizard was rattling armfuls of silver sym- bols on chains at passersby.

"One for young lady?" he called at Alexis as they passed, leering at her. "Protect your pretty neck?"

"Give you ten seconds to scram before its your ugly neck that needs protecting," shot back Carter, who had flashed his Auror badge at the wizard. It took the man less than five to run off dropping amulets along the way.

"The things people do for a galleon," said Hagrid distastefully. "Reckon he be settin' up shop some blocks down from here."

"No doubt," agreed Carter grimly. "But I'm only assigned one job at a time and babysitting is hard enough."

"Hey!" cried three sixth years in uproar.

"We're going in, ya?" asked Carter, ignoring the protest. "Hurry up, you ungratefuls."

Alexis stuck her tongue out at him but followed Harry and Hermione into Flourish and Blotts. Carter was right on her heels with Hagrid taking up the rear.

"Stay together will you?" Carter called but it was too late. Hermione had already taken off towards shelves full of grand tomes while Harry had all but ran over to the Quidditch section. Alexis had been just as nimble making an excellent dash over the far more interesting Beast and Creatures section of the store without a second thought.

She dipped and tucked through the few buyers filtering through the cramp bookshelves. Alexis was excited to see what new work had been published over the summer about the always growing number of magical creature in the world. Not to mention, she was very interested in seeing what book it was that Hagrid had assigned for her N.E.W.T. Level class this year. Perhaps it would be another Monster Manual. She had let her last one loose in the Forbidden Forest after third year. Every now and again she would swear she saw it cornering a frightened rabbit outside the greenhouse or lurking near the lake waiting for some unfortunate student to mistake it for a lost textbook.

Finally, Alexis stumbled upon the section but she had only just gotten a hold of the latest Fantastic Beast Journal Monthly when a familiar voice filled the air.

"If that's everything, mother," said none other than Alexis's cousin and dear friend Draco Malfoy. He stood by his mother, Narcissa Malfoy née Black, looking more pale than usual. His white-blonde hair was once again gelled back neatly in a familiar Pureblood manner and his face had a constant unimpressed look covering it very much like his father but not at all like Draco.

"Fine," said Narcissa, not at all sounding please at whatever she had just agreed to. Alexis noticed that she too seemed paler and even skinner, which was quite alarming for Alexis to see as her aunt was already quite small. "I will see you back at the manor."

"Perhaps," snapped Draco snarky and quite unlike himself.

For a moment Narcissa looked ready to correct her son on his rudeness but the thought quickly escaped her. Instead, the blonde witch gave her son a worried look.

"Be safe, my son," she said so softly Alexis nearly missed it.

Draco, however, might as well have considering he ignore his mother and instead made his way to the exit. Narcissa watched him go for a moment longer before composing herself. Had Alexis not already seen the genuine worry on her aunt's face seconds earlier she wouldn't have had any idea that Lady Malfoy was anything other than bored now.

"Aunt Cissy?" Alexis said stepping out from behind the bookcases. She hoped dearly that it looked as if she had just stumbled upon her aunt and had not just been eavesdropping.

Narcissa turned, slightly startled, to see her niece. She smiled lovingly, although slightly forcefully at first, at Alexis, before expanding her arms open for a hug.

"My dear," Narcissa began when Alexis accepted her hug, "it is so wonderful to see you again. It has been so long and our last encounter had not gone as well as it could have."

Alexis wish she could have felt sheepish about the last time she had seen her aunt but failed to do so. It had been the day of her guardian hearing and she had not at all been what one would call well behaved. Of course, her uncle, Lucius Malfoy, had suffered the worst of her wrath that day as he deserved.

"I've missed you," said Alexis without thinking about it. Her relationship with her aunt had become strained thanks to her husband especially when it was Alexis and Harry's fault he had ended up in Azkaban. Of course, being a Death Eater didn't help him. In fact, it was the entire reason he and Alexis were no longer as close as they once had been.

"And I you," sighed Narcissa, squeezing Alexis close. When they broke apart, she examined her niece thoroughly. "You've blossomed so much yet not a single inch taller."

Alexis couldn't help but to blush. Once upon a time, Narcissa had been the only woman figure in her life, acting as both an aunt and a sudo mother even before it was revealed that the two were related. But that was years ago. Tonks had entered her life shortly after second year and so had Mrs. Weasley, who had all but adopted Alexis as she had Harry and Hermione.

Suddenly Narcissa looked worried.

"You're not here alone, are you?" she asked, grasping both of Alexis's shoulders as if to shake sense into her.

"No, I'm here with..." Alexis trailed off. Saying she was here with Harry was _not_ a good idea. Thankfully, a certain master of sarcasm saved her just in time.

"She's her with me," cut in Carter, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Narcissa played off being surprised by his presence quite well. "Mad-Eye asked me to keep an eye her while he's downstairs for extra security. Isn't that right, Jinx?"

"Right," lied Alexis smoothly.

"I am glad to see he takes your safety so seriously," said Narcissa evenly. Alexis wasn't quite sure what her feelings were to Carter especially now. Her Occlumency shields had shot so quickly it had taking Alexis off guard. She didn't even know her aunt was an Occlumens.

"Yeah, well, with all the Death Eaters out there now," said Carter with a shrug. "Almost feels like back when we were in school, doesn't it?"

"Hmm," hummed Narcissa. Her tone was noncommittal. She smiled once more at Alexis, squeezing her arm. "I must be going, Alexis. Do take care of yourself, will you?"

"Of course," said Alexis. Before she could think better of it, she pulled her aunt in for another hug. "Please be careful, Aunt Cissy. I love you, you know that? And Draco."

Narcissa, despite being taken aback by the surprised and rather fierce hug, nodded her head.

"I know dear."

"You'll watch him, right?" asked Alexis, not quite ready to let go of her aunt yet. She was not comforted by the sad look in her aunt's eye.

"I'm trying," was whispered in Alexis's ear softly, in a voice so emotional it almost couldn't have been her aunt's. Before she knew it, the blonde witch disappeared out of the long rows of bookshelves. Alexis wished she could have asked what Narcissa had meant. An uneasy feeling filled her stomach as she tried to only imagine what it could have been.

"Well that was nice," mused Carter to no one in particular. "Odd seeing her without her son. Narcissa Malfoy hasn't been seen in public without him since Lord Malfoy was arrested."

"Draco just left," said Alexis, moving down the rows towards the closest exit. "He seemed upset about something. Maybe if I hurry, I'll catch him -"

Carter caught up to Alexis just as she exited Flourish and Blotts. He quickly grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Hold your horses." Carter stopped in front of her, blocking her way. "Do you not understand the term babysitting?"

"He's my friend!" exclaimed Alexis. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the same amulet peddler setting up shop once more in front of Flourish and Blotts. He was either dumb or had thought Carter had already left. Either way, he jumped a mile high when Alexis snapped at him. "Did you see a blonde teenager run off somewhere a few minutes ago? He has silver eyes and is about his height?"

She pointed at Carter, who had a very irritated look on his face. The wizard gulped.

"He ran off towards Knockturn Alley, ma'am," he rambled quickly, no doubt fearing Carter's earlier threat.

"Thank you," Alexis called over her shoulder, already taking off towards the darker side of the already gloomy Diagon Alley. Carter hesitated slightly, glaring at the amulet peddler, before cursing under his breath.

"Still your fault, Tom."

Alexis continued to hurry towards Knockturn Alley despite knowing full well it was not a place she should wonder alone. She had heard plenty of stories from Order members and even Harry of how dangerous of a place it was but it wasn't until the third leering look sent her way in the Alley that she threw up her hood to keep from being recognized too easily.

' _You really shouldn't be down her, girly,'_ hissed Cedric _._

 _'Only dark wizards go here,'_ added Ron.

 _'Carter and I shared a flat about a block down here, actually,'_ said McPherson _. 'But for once, I'm going to agree with the ginger and pretty boy and say get out of here_.'

"Tom and I had a flat about a block from here," said Carter from behind Alexis, sending the poor sixth year jumping a mile high in the air.

"Don't. Do. That," Alexis hissed, clutching her heart.

"Don't run off," shot back Carter. "You really shouldn't be here, Jinx. It's dangerous, even more so with the Dark Lord's followers about."

"Which is exactly why we need to find Draco," said Alexis.

"We don't even know if he's here," argued Carter. "For all we know, the damn wizard just pointed in a random direction to get you away from him and-"

"There!"

Alexis pointed straight ahead. Her Slytherin friend in the window of corner store. On the window written in peeling coral white letters was the name _Borgin and Burkes_. Draco seemed to be arguing with the owner.

"You're kidding me," huffed Carter in disbelief, his own hooded head shaking in disbelief. "We not going-"

"Come on," called Alexis, running once more. Hurrying up the steps of the store, she pushed the door open. The bell tinkled loudly just as Draco hissed a threat at the now pale, old wizard behind the counter.

"Not a word to anyone, Borgin, and that includes my mother, understand?"

"Naturally, naturally," murmured the old man, Borgin, bowing.

"You'll tell me though. Right, cousin?" asked Alexis teasingly. However, joking as she may, Draco seemed to stiffen at her words. He turned, ever so slowly towards her, buttoning his one sleeve as he did.

"Cousin," he said, his voice crisp.

Alexis quickly crossed the small distance between the two of them, a grin on her face despite Draco's rather foul tone. She was used to it by now. It seemed all of her Slytherin friends had mood swings every once in awhile and her cousin was no exception. She only wished he didn't look so tired like his mother. It was starting to unnerve her.

"How was your summer?" Alexis asked.

"How do you think?" replied Draco coldly. He pushed past her without another word and was out the door before Alexis could recover from her shock.

"Draco wa-"

Before she had even finished opening the door to Borgin and Burkes, Alexis froze. Her cousin was already a good distance up the street but it was the two cloaked wizards that caught her attention. The first was Cassius Warrington, a Slytherin graduate of Hogwarts and someone Alexis had had the great displeasure of knowing. More than once had the foul boy went out of his way to ruin Alexis's day even after Barty, disguised as Moody, turned him into a warthog for attacking her when her back was turn.

However, as much as Cassius annoyed Alexis to no end, he was almost a welcomed sight when compared to the man on his left. Several years both their elder, Amycus Carrow was one man Alexis could never deny her hatred for. The red-headed, twisted-faced, sadist still had a tendency of appearing in some of Alexis's more gruesome nightmares. She had met the monster of a man the same night Cedric had died. In fact, he had been the one to kill her Hufflepuff.

The memory would play forever in her mind...

 _They had just arrived in the graveyard, confused and quite uneasy. Harry had a cut on his leg while Cedric was wearing a darkening bruise on his neck and down his arm. They had all hidden behind tombstones when Wormtail had appeared, demanding they show themselves. Cedric had, brave as ever with his wand drawn, ready to defend them if necessary. But a coward attacks in the shadows especially against an honorable man._

" _Cedric, look out!" she had screamed._

 _The Hufflepuff turned around in a second but a second too late._

 _"Avada Kedavra!"_

 _A green light shot through the air, hitting Cedric, who's grey eyes were wide in surprise, straight in the chest. Alexis let out a scream as she jumped to her feet to get to her unofficial brother. Harry tackled her in a second, his hand covering her mouth as the two were once more hidden behind a tombstone..._

Amycus Carrow had been the coward and murderer. The torture and abuse he put her through afterwards were nothing compared to that. And he was heading her way.

Without a second thought, Alexis spun on her heels and ran towards the back of the store to find a place to hide. She heard Borgin calling after her but paid him no heed. Instead she hid herself between a very old cabinet and the end of a bookcase, hidden in the shadows. Seconds later, the bell above the door jingled once more. Alexis held her breath as the floorboards up front moved wordless towards the back. She could see them both, Cassius and Amycus, make their way through the rows. They clearly knew what they were there for as they never even bothered to glance around at the shelves as they passed.

Certain they were far enough back for he to leave, Alexis slipped out from her hiding place. She had to cover her mouth to keep from screaming when a boney hand fell on her shoulder.

"And what do you think you're doin' back here?" growled Borgin, staring at Alexis menacingly. "You better plan on buyin' somethin', little brat."

Alexis did her best to sound offended, saying, "Of course I did, you twit."

She couldn't help but to think that perhaps buying something would be her quickest way out of the store without causing a scene. Unfortunately, all the items around her looked quite dangerous save for the tomes but she knew _exactly_ how life threatening books could be after second year. Nonetheless, Alexis reach haphazardly at the bookshelf and grabbed the first book that her hand fell on. It was thick but small enough to fit in her school robe pockets, leather bound with no writing on the outside of any kind other than a strange imprint in the corner probably left from improper care, and, thankfully, full of words even though they were clearly written by hand. Still, for what Alexis could tell it, wasn't a cursed journal and that was all that mattered as far as she was concerned.

"How much do you want for this?" she asked, doing her best to not sound as if she had no idea what she was buying.

The old wizard Borgin raised an eyebrow at Alexis, looking... impressed? Alexis wasn't quite sure. He did take the book from Alexis's hand with an unexpected amount of care, looking down at the leather with a fond, ghost of a smile.

"Do you know what this is, girl?" he asked shrewdly, his almost amicable look vanishing immediately.

"I wouldn't ask to buy it if I didn't," huffed Alexis, trying to quell her growing curiosity by reminding herself she didn't actually want to buy the book but was using it as a way out of the store. "But I can take my business elsewhere if -"

"But this is the original copy," said Borgin hastily. Alexis wasn't sure now if he was trying to get her to want to buy it or see why he was reluctant to sell it. "I'm the only one that has it. All the others are just copies or forgeries."

"Are you selling or not?" asked Alexis. She could her the boards in the back creak. The noise was getting closer.

"Yes I'm selling!" exclaimed Borgin. "But not to someone without enough galleons like -"

Alexis dropped her coin purse into Borgin's boney, old hands. It was nearly a hundred galleons and all of the money she Moody had given her for supplies but the steps were drawing closer. She didn't stop her hasty retreat out the front door, book clutched under her arm, nor did she slow down when Carter appeared out of nowhere yelling at her.

"Much help you were," Alexis growled as they exited the Alley. Carter was still reprimanding her for running off on him. "I was trapped in there with two Death Eaters!"

"I couldn't go inside, Jinx," snapped Carter foully. "I have a lifetime ban from Borgin and Burkes and Borgin has some quite nasty curses on the place for those unwelcome in his store. Something you would have known had you not run off - again."

Alexis stopped. Up ahead, she could see Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid waiting for them outside of Flourish and Blotts but her attention turned to Carter.

"How on earth did you get banned- never mind. I don't want to know... Could you buy my supplies though? I may have spent all my money on my escape..."

Carter didn't even bother to hold back the groan of annoyance that time. At least somethings didn't change.

.

* * *

Last post before classes again. Luckily classes start in two days. Unfortunately I'll be studying abroad in Germany - leaving today, Yeah! - and I don't know how the Internet will work at my apartment or school. The goal is to post far more often than I did last book though. Fingers crossed that actually happens.

Review Response:

 **stephanie . rebecca91** : I'm glad you enjoyed the fluff of the last chapter. I thought a little love and good times were due after Sirius's death

 **Raven that flies at night** : Glad you think so. And yes I've seen the movie and fell in love with it. Especially a character I won't mention by name without spoiling the film. He may or may not have been the original muse for this book and when the movie came out he only succeeded in motivating me more.

 **Dare queen** : :D

 **gossamermouse101** : *hands you two tissues* one for now and one for later.

 **NeverBeyondRedemption** : It just wouldn't have been right for Alexis and Harry to miss it. Malfoys made an appearance just for you this chapter. And without saying too much, Tonks already knows Hex might be Remus's daughter. That's all I can say about that though. As for Trump, six days until his inauguration and the world hasn't ended yet.

 **HazelVex** : Yeah! More chapters to come!

 **lizyeh2000** : more to come soon

 **EmoOwlQueen** : Thank you! I hope yours was great too

 **Guest1** : you're welcome

 **Guest2:** Thank you. I appreciate that

 **Sir Egg of Breakfast** : so did I while writing it, hence why I found it cheesy.

 **Winter Frost** : Maybe one more w would work lol. I won't make any promises but I'll consider it

Thanks again everyone for the reviews and for those that are just here to read as well. I appreciate a great deal. I'll update sooner this time!

Please Review!

DCF


	4. To Hogwarts!

Guess who's not dead and back from her extensive study abroad! Hallo! Ich bin Keith!

Enjoy

* * *

6 Chapter 4: To Hogwarts!

It was all in German. How Alexis had failed to realize this when she had first haphazardly scanned the book she did not know but suspected it had something to do with her haste to escape detection by two Death Eaters. Nonetheless, the book was harmless. Alexis had been sure to have both Carter and Moody examine it the moment they had returned from Diagon Alley. Afterwards, she had haphazardly tossed the book into her partially packed trunk to be forgotten about.

But that was not for a long while later. Not until after the three sixth years bought new school robes. Not until after they stopped for a bite to eat back at the Leaky Cauldron as promised. And most certainly not until after Alexis, Harry, Hermione, Hagrid, and Carter visited Fred and George's joke shop.

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was the loudest and liveliest shop in all of Diagon Alley. In fact, it seemed to be the only shop not subdued by the dark times of war. Fireworks, confetti, and even the occasional flying toy would zip around the room helping to keep the laughter and joy spreading. Alexis nearly forgot all about her earlier gloom-filled encounters with the Malfoys when the store came in her sights. The moment Harry took her hand and led her in a childish - and completely shameless - run for the door after Hermione, Alexis had only cheerful thoughts.

"Would you look at this place?" exclaimed Harry.

Alexis took in the colorful, lively store with unabashed awe. Her eyes widened with glee at the sight of all the whatchamacallits and thingamabobs gleaming on the shelves and hanging from the ceiling. Children and adults both were running around as if Christmas had come early with toys and knick-knacks alike falling out of their overflowing arms and baskets. Alexis could see a group of second years huddled around the twins instant nosebleed candies while some girls her age giggled loudly next to an assortment of love potions. Even some ministry workers on break we're examining some of the twins unique bowlers that were specially made to block minor curses and jinxes.

"They have a bit of everything here," mused Harry with a smile.

"I'd say," agreed Alexis. Something furry caught her eye. "Harry, look!"

Without letting go of her best friend's hand, Alexis hurried down several aisles - including the aisle full of love potions and a gaggle of giggling girls - to a small pin in the center of the store. A dozen balls of either purple or pink fur the size of a softball were rolling around inside. They were each making a unique humming noise and under closer inspection seemed to have a face with large, nearly doll-like eyes, and long, pink tongues.

"What are they?" asked Harry, unfazed by Alexis immediate reaction to pick up half of them.

"Puffskeins!" exclaimed Alexis, snuggling the humming fuzz balls with all the love she could give. "But why are they so small?"

"That's because they're a special breed," said the voice of George. He appeared with a wide grin moments later from behind the shelf. "They're called Pygmy Puffs. Fred and I can't breed them fast enough."

"They're so cute!" said Alexis, dumping a pink one into Harry's arms.

"For once, you used the term cute correctly, Hex," he teased, running a finger under what was seemingly the Pygmy Puff's chin. The creature wrapped its tongue around his finger, humming happily. "They are quite cute."

"We should get one," said Alexis, placing down the few she still had in her arms to instead pet the one Harry was holding.

"Just one?" asked Harry wiggling his finger in an attempt to free it from the Pygmy Puff. No such luck.

"Yeah," said Alexis, suppressing a giggle at the way the little creature successfully caught two of Harry's fingers now. "Why not?"

Harry grinned.

"That sounds -"

"Wow, didn't know you two were so serious," cut in George.

Harry stopped mid-thought. He and Alexis both turned to face George, Pygmy Puff still in hand, eyebrows raised.

"Oh come on," laughed George. "You don't think that's a big step in your relationship? A shared pet?"

"We shared Sirius in our third year," pointed out Alexis. "And he wasn't even a real dog."

"Not that we knew that," mused Harry offhandedly. "But how hard can taking care of a Pygmy whatever be? You wouldn't be selling them if your customers wouldn't be able to handle raising them. I'm certain Hermione and Angelina would never -"

"Oi, don't bring my lady into it," cut in George in mock defense.

"What in Merlin's name is that?"

Carter approached the three from the endless shelves. He had been keeping a sharper eye on Alexis since her near disaster with the two Death Eaters.

"A Pygmy Puff," Alexis said, snatching the one from Harry's hand and handing it to Carter.

Carter became momentarily distracted by the fur ball now in his arms. He instinctively held the creature like one would an infant. Before he could stop himself, he cooed down at it kindly.

"Ehem." Carter cleared his throat, realizing what he had done. "It's... nice... yep."

Alexis raised an eyebrow. She had never seen Carter look more embarrassed as he did right then.

"Did you just coo?" Alexis asked in disbelief.

Carter narrowed his eyes. He would have looked quite intimidating if he wasn't still cuddling a pink fuzzball.

"I've killed fully grown men before," he snarled, but there was no saving his masculinity.

' _And that's why he was the wife_ ,' smirked McPherson. Alexis couldn't help but agree with her late guardian especially when Carter still bought the Pygmy Puff.

.

The first of September finally arrived and with it came a glaring reminder that war was brewing in Wizarding Britain. The Ministry of Magic had once again sent vehicles to take Alexis and her friends to Kings Cross as well as half a platoon of Aurors. Carter led what he had cheekily dubbed the "Potter Guard" and had personally made sure each Hogwarts student had at least two Aurors at their side at all times. Harry had found himself flanked by no less than four Aurors at any time until at last crossing through the barrier to Platform 9 and 3/4, not one of his armed guards attempting to look inconspicuous. Alexis had wondered idly if even the princes received as much protection as her best friend. She highly doubted they took it any better than Harry if they did, seeing as her best friend looked quite sour until he was finally able to break away from the four burly guards that seemed to hound his every step.

"Next time, we'll just Floo to Hogwarts," Harry growled once Carter sent the Aurors to stand guard at a more respectful distance so goodbyes could be said.

Alexis smiled sympathetically before squeezing Harry's hand. The green-eyed teen's sour expression lessened slightly at the gesture. He let out a sighed before tilting his head a certain way Alexis had come to understand as his way of telling her to read his thoughts. In the last five years, it had become almost all too natural of a form of communication between the two.

'It better not be this bad at Hogwarts,' thought Harry.

'I'm quite sure you'll go mad if it is,' teased Alexis, with a toothy smile.

Harry returned the smile with a smirk and quipped, 'At least I won't start hearing voices.'

Alexis scoffed aloud. Before she was able to retaliate, however, Mrs. Weasley and the rest of her family (save for Percy, who had still not forgiven his family for being correct about the Ministry last year) began saying their goodbyes. Even Moody joined in the farewells, though his words were mainly those of warning, reminders of how to properly jinx or hex a Death Eater, and of course, his ever famous "Constant Vigilance!"

The five-minute warning whistle was what ruined the sweet goodbyes shared between the family without shared blood. Alexis stole one last warm hug from Mrs. Weasley, a kiss on the head from Mr. Weasley, and a tight shoulder squeeze from Moody before helping Harry drag Hermione away from loving embrace she was sharing with Fred that had George moaning about his twin being "Prefected."

"Merlin, Moony," laughed Alexis, shoving her bushy-haired friend towards the train, "you'll see him at Christmas."

Hermione only sighed but after one last wave to her boyfriend took the lead of the three best friends. The three approached the closest door to the Hogwarts Express with a new found zeal.

"Oi! Just a sec," called Carter. "Need a word with the short one."

"Hey!" snapped Alexis as her two friends chuckled.

"Hey yourself," said Carter. "Hurry up Jinx; I don't have all day."

Still snickering, Harry patted Alexis's shoulder. "I'll save you a seat, Hex. Just don't miss the train... again."

Rolling her eyes, Alexis shared a swift goodbye with her friends before making her way hastily to Carter. For his part, Carter wasted no time.

"You'll at least try not to get into too much trouble, yeah?"

Alexis blinked with mock innocence. Carter sighed.

"Why do I bother?"

"I was going to ask the same thing," teased Alexis cheekily. Then she frowned. "Try not to die while I'm away?"

Carter smirked at that.

"What? You'd miss me?"

"Hardly," scoffed Alexis. "I'm more afraid you'll come back a ghost and haunt me."

"You're not that important to me," said Carter, wincing half a second later when he and Alexis both realized what he had said. Alexis didn't miss a beat.

"Awe, you find me important?" cooed Alexis in a clear teasing tone without malice but an annoyance to the Auror in front of her nonetheless. It truly was a testament to how far their relationship had developed over the years. "That makes me feel so special."

Carter glared dangerously at the sixth year before him.

"I hope the train runs you over."

"Bipolar much?"

"Only around you, Jinx," smirked Carter. "Now go bother your boy-toy before I push you in front of the train myself."

"Oi, that's it?" asked Alexis. "Thought there'd be something more than this mushy goodbye when you had me leave decent company."

"There is," said Carter, his smirk dying. "I need you to look out for someone this year. But you can't let her know I asked you to keep an eye on her. She's a bit likely to tan my hide if she finds out."

Alexis looked at Carter, her curiosity peaking.

"Okay, so now I'm interested," said Alexis. "If you're about to tell me you have a secret lovechild attending Hogwarts this year, I will openly fan girl."

Carter grimaced at that. His entire face twisted unnaturally into a look caught between horror and loathing. Whether it was because of the idea of having children or the thought of seeing Alexis fan-girl, Alexis wasn't sure.

"I need you to keep Avril Nott out of trouble, or rather in minimal trouble as she's like you in that regard," said Carter.

Alexis's eyes widened dramatically. Avril Nott was a third year in Gryffindor and one of Alexis's close friends. She was also the sister to Theo Nott, a Slytherin in Alexis's year who was as close as a friend as any of the Slytherins got. Alexis hadn't heard from either of them all summer.

"If you're about to tell me," began Alexis, "that Avril is secretly your lovechild -"

"Merlin's balls, no!" cried Carter, looking visibly ill at the very idea. "Dealing with you has put me off the very idea of ever creating little spawns on this hellhole."

"Well, you would have had to 'create' Avril before you met me, so," said Alexis, having put hand quotations around the word create. "I'm not judging. Everyone already knows Avril and Theo are half-siblings and from what I know Mr. Death Eater Nott Sr. is a right bast-"

"I have not nor will I ever father a child, alright?" cut in Carter, looking downright horrified at the very idea. "I just need you to look after the little imp, alright?"

"Okay, okay," relented Alexis. "I'll keep an eye on her. Anything else, your majesty?"

Carter attempted another scowl at Alexis, but like the first, it was done so halfheartedly. In the background, the Hogwarts Express whistled it's final warning call.

"Just go get on the train before I make good on my promise to throw you in front of it," he huffed, pinching his nose as if physically pained. "I'm sure Harry is lost on what to do without you."

Smiling widely at Carter's pain, Alexis bowed dramatically before hurrying over to the Hogwarts Express. She jumped aboard just as the train began moving. Smiling she waved once more out the door at the still miffed looking Auror before making her way down the corridor to find Harry. Hermione was to be at a prefect meeting for the first half of the train ride, along with Neville Longbottom, another Gryffindor in Alexis's year and a close friend, so Alexis could only wonder with who Harry had found to share a compartment.

"Here's to another new year," sighed Alexis before making her way to the end of the train.

The atmosphere on the Hogwarts Express had done a complete one-eighty since last year, a fact Alexis came to all too suddenly on her search for Harry. No longer were students cowering in their compartments at the sight of her, whispering the same lies spread by the Daily Prophet about her Death Eater heritage or Harry being a liar. Quite the contrary. Instead, students seemed to file into the hall as she passed, all seeming intent on talking to her, or at the very least seeing her up close. Words such as "Golden Trio" and "Chosen One's girlfriend," escaped lips as often as Alexis remembered, "Future Death Eater" and "Whore" being whispered the year before.

 _'What a fickle world we live in,_ ' mused McPherson. ' _Well, I say live..._ '

Ron moaned, unamused, ' _Merlin's beard, we've been dead for too long_.'

At last Alexis caught sight of a familiar head of unruly hair inside one of the last compartments. Smiling in relief, she walked straight inside.

"Finally," said Harry, at the sight of his best friend entering. He sat up in his seat across from Seamus and Dean with a pleased smile. "I was starting to think they had eaten you."

"If by they, you mean the rest of the student body," said Alexis, flopping down in the seat next to Harry, "I'm just as surprised as you are." She turned her attention to her classmates. "Hi Seamus, hi Dean."

Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas responded in kind, both pleased to see their friend once again, after a summer apart. Outside of Harry and Hermione, few were as close to Alexis at Hogwarts as this duo, only four others to be in fact. Seamus was a Half-Blood with a tendency towards catching things on fire and whose Irish accent and temper had a talent for finding trouble only beat by Alexis and Harry's own gift in the field. On the other hand, Dean was a Muggleborn, with dark skin and even darker eyes as well as a nearly unnatural gentle hand and kind smile, perfect for one that desired to become a Healer. Both were proud of their Gryffindor blood and even prouder of their love for Quidditch. They had been one of the few that had joined the D.A. and one of the even fewer that had traveled with Alexis, Harry, and Hermione to the Department of Mysteries last school year.

"Harry was just telling us about his summer," said Seamus, tossing Alexis a box of Every Flavored Beans. "Seems you were there the whole time."

"Only for the good parts," Alexis said with a smile. Seamus grinned in response.

"How was the wedding?" cut in Dean, almost as if he was impatient. "Sorry, but Seamus and I have a bet going on-"

"Oi, Dean!" groaned Seamus in mock annoyance.

"Oh, what are we betting on now?" teased Alexis, all too well remembering the betting pool that had been going on over when she and Harry would start dating.

"Who caught the bouquet," answered Dean, leading to Seamus shaking his head. "I said you, but Seamus said Harry."

At that, Harry let out a startled laugh, apparently unsure if he should be insulted or amused.

"Seamus!"

"Well?" cut in Dean, almost whining. "I've got five galleons riding on this."

Shaking her head, Alexis opened her mouth to answer only for the compartment door to open. Standing in the frame was a sixth year Hufflepuff by the name of Susan Bones.

Alexis remembered Susan from the D.A. last year. She also recalled Susan's aunt, Amelia Bones, who had helped Harry during his trail last year when Fudge had framed him. Madame Bones had, until last month, been very much alive and fighting against Voldemort. It was clear that her aunt's murder had not been easy on the Hufflepuff either. The once pudgy girl had lost a significant amount of weight over the summer and bags had begun to form under her normally shining eyes.

However, when she took in the sight of Alexis and her fellow D.A. members, the bright smile and friendly eyes Alexis remembered as Susan's trademark took ahold once more.

"Harry, Hex," greeted Susan with a nod, before nodding towards Seamus and Dean. "Seamus, Dean."

"Hello, Susan," said Alexis, slightly startled at the way Susan held herself. It was almost as if the Hufflepuff found it her responsibility to be strong and happy for everyone else. "Wanna to join us?"

Susan shook her head no, blushing almost as if she was surprised by the offer.

"I didn't mean to intrude," she started, shyly. "I just wanted to ask - as everyone is interested, I'm sure - whether or not you two have decided - or even thought about, really -"

"Maybe take a breather first, Susan?" teased Seamus with a soft smile.

Susan's blush increased. Her friendly eyes suddenly became fascinated with her buckled shoes.

"Sorry," she said. "Just everyone keeps asking me because they don't want to ask you two personally."

"Ask us what, Susan?" asked Harry.

"Oh!" exclaimed Susan, looking quite embarrassed. "If the D.A. will be continuing this year. I probably should have started with that, shouldn't I have?"

Alexis failed to hold back a giggle as her fellow compartment companions all smiled. Harry tried to hide his amusement with the shaking of his head. It would have been a more effective decoy had Mrs. Weasley not cut his shaggy hair so much.

"We haven't decided yet, Susan," said Harry with a smile. "But we'll be sure to tell you when we have, alright? Now, grab a seat and have a Pumpkin Pastry."

"Oh, but I couldn't," said Susan, shy and polite as ever. "I told -"

Susan had not closed the compartment door after entering, a simple action that led to Alexis grunting out an "oof" as a small body that zipped inside through the opened door collided into her.

"Found them!" called a muffled voice into Alexis's shoulder, a blur of wild hair tickling Alexis's nose as she struggled to sit up.

"Avril?" asked Alexis, bewildered.

"The one and only!" exclaimed Avril Nott, Alexis's all-time favorite third year. The impish Pureblood rebel flashed a grin at Alexis, her stormy eyes shining with a kind of mischief the twins would be proud to have. "And you will not believe the torture I had to endure this summer! Theo had me stay with Great Aunt Grendel. Grendel! She's even worse than she sounds. And she's not even my great aunt! I wasn't allowed to write, or fly, or do anything fun whatsoever. We just sat around drinking the most dreadful tea all day, talking about what kind of lady I was failing to be- and THEO NEVER VISITED!"

Alexis wasn't sure what to say. Thankfully, Avril left her no time to do so before doing a complete one-eighty and shoving a pink furball under Alexis's nose.

"But someone bought me this!" Avril explained rapidly, tickling the Pygmy Puff that looked all too familiar. "Hex, I'd like you to meet Kronos, Destroyer of Worlds."

' _Destroyer of Worlds?_ ' repeated McPherson, Ron, and Cedric.

Alexis responded more neutrally with a simple, "Hello."

"He seems to be quite patient on his plans to destroy the world, doesn't he?" asked a dreamy voice.

Alexis turned he attention away from the furball in question to see a familiar fifth year Ravenclaw standing beside Susan in the doorway of the compartment.

Luna Lovegood was a character all of her own. The dirty blonde, dreamy-eyed fifth year never seemed to be disheartened by the darkening world. Without waiting for an invitation, Luna led Susan over to what little remaining seating there was in the compartment.

"How are you, Luna?" asked Alexis. "And your dad? Did you have any luck catching Crumple-Horned Snorkack?"

"Not this year I'm afraid," replied Luna with a sigh. "But father and I are very confident about next year. The weather will be perfect then."

Alexis nodded her head in agreement while the rest of the compartment did so politely. Luna was always going on about magical creatures, only half of them being real.

Avril extended Kronos out to Luna with a smile.

"Would you like to hold the Destroyer of Worlds, Luna?" Avril asked with a smile.

Luna nodded her head happily before taking the Pygmy Puff into her small hands. Kronos rolled happily about in her grasp, looking far too adorable to be the evil mastermind Avril swore him to be.

Susan scratched Kronos's head while Luna held him, a genuine smile gracing her lips. A soft giggle escaped her before she stood.

"I'll close the door then," she said off-handedly, moving to the compartment door. Her hand just fell on its handle when a familiar face appeared once more.

"Avril, I'm sorry for being a right bast-"

Theodore "Theo" Nott came into view in the hall only to stop mid-stride and mid-apology at the sight of Susan.

There was an uncomfortable pause that left everyone in the compartment uncertain as what to do or say. The little color that he had faded from Theo's face while Susan's cheeks turned a bright red. The two continued to stare in an agonizing silence that seemed to be endless.

At last, Theo refinds his voice.

"I... Hello, Susan," he said roughly before immediately locking his eyes on Avril. He did not look away from his little sister nor did he wait for Susan's response before continuing, "I'm sorry I wasn't there all summer, Avril. Father got me a... job of sorts. But I will make it up to you. I promise."

Without another word or glance, Theo hurried away. Another uncomfortable pause followed before -

"What the bloody hell was that?" asked Seamus, scratching his head.

"He looked ill," said Avril, concern clear in her voice. "I'm going to go check on him."

Taking Kronos back from Luna, Avril stood up and hurried out after her brother, pushing past a blushing Susan at the door. Another pause.

"Seriously, what just happened?" repeated Seamus.

.

Following the confusion caused by Theo's visit, the train ride to Hogwarts went relatively smoothly. Avril never came back, which Alexis assumed meant her young friend was catching up with her Slytherin brother and his friends. Hermione and Neville joined them after their prefect meeting with news that Draco had stepped down from his position as prefect, which now belonged to Blaise. The news surprised the group, but no one acted upon it, assuming that Draco, in his usual fashion, would stop by their compartment soon enough and tell them what made him do such an action.

He never did, but there were several gaggles of fans - mostly consisting of giggling girls - that stopped by the compartment to talk with Harry. At first, Alexis found it quite amusing, but after the third girl sent a flirtatious innuendo that even Alexis couldn't miss at her boyfriend, she'd had enough.

"Right then," huffed Alexis at a fourth-year girl by the name of Romilda Vane that just wouldn't quit trying to get Harry to join her and her friends in a different compartment for a 'good time.'

Alexis stood up and with a very sharp flick of her wrist sent Vane flying out of the compartment and against the wall before slamming the door closed manually. The glass window shook from the force. Before pulling the curtain in front of it, Alexis sent a victorious smirk at the green-skin-turning girls struggling to untangle themselves from each other.

"That's better," sighed Alexis, returning to her seat next to her best friend, pointedly sitting closer.

Harry for his part was trying not to laugh. He wrapped his arm around Alexis's shoulder, pulling her in so that he could kiss her on top of her raven black hair.

"You're adorable when you're angry," he teased. Alexis's disgruntled face and the snickering from their friends only had Harry give up on holding back his laughter.

"I am not adorable!" huffed Alexis.

' _Yes you are,_ ' said the three voices in her head.

"Shut up," grumbled Alexis before crossing her arms.

Harry just smiled at his girlfriend's denial before turning to Hermione and asking about classes. The bushy-haired bookworm lit up at the change of topic and tore into an explanation on how she planned to juggle her ten courses during their sixth year. Seamus moved to the floor to look at Luna's Quibbler magazine Neville and Susan were showing Dean about new medical treatment involving plants, so Harry stretched out on the seat, resting his head on Alexis's lap.

Just then, there was a knock on the compartment door. A second later it was pushed open to reveal a round belly, balding, old man with an enormous, silver, walrus-like mustache. Alexis recognized him from Remus and Tonk's wedding as Professor Slughorn.

"Ah! Harry, my boy!" said Professor Slughorn. "Just who I was looking for!"

"Hello, professor," said Harry, hastily lifting his head off Alexis's lap. "Err, you were looking for me?"

"Oh, yes," said Slughorn before smiling knowingly. "Yes, indeed I was, although I can see you may be a bit busy at the moment. Oh, to be young and foolish again."

As Professor Slughorn looked off wistfully, both Seamus and Dean sent Harry curious look. Alexis smirked at him, and Harry cleared his throat.

"Err, right," said Harry. "Professor, these are some of my friends. This is Hermione Granger, Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom. They're all in my year and house. This is Luna Lovegood. She's a Ravenclaw and a fifth year. Her is Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff in sixth year as well. And this is Hex, my longtime best friend and more recently made girlfriend."

"Well, he says recently," snorted Seamus.

"But the two have practically been an item since they became friends," chuckled Dean.

"And does Miss Hex have a last name?" Slughorn asked kindly.

"I do," said Alexis. "But I have no desire to claim it or my proper first name, so Hex is what I go by."

Something about this sparked interest in Slughorn's prominent, gooseberry colored eyes. Alexis wondered if he had recognized her like most of the older generation of wizards and witch tended to no days. There was no denying that she was starting to look a startling amount more like her mother as she got older.

"Have a little spunk to you, I see," said an amused Professor Slughorn. "If your actions back your words, I have no doubt on how far you'll go in this world, my dear."

Unconsciously, Alexis cringed at the endearing name. She knew her new professor meant no offense, but it didn't make the pet name less traumatic.

"Is there anything I can help you with, professor?" asked Harry, squeezing Alexis's hand. "You said you were looking for me?"

Professor Slughorn smiled broadly.

"Indeed I was, my boy," he replied with a chuckle. "I've come to invite you and Mr. Longbottom to a little lunch in my cabin personally."

"Oh, err..." Harry glanced at his friends sheepishly, uncertain as to what he should say.

Alexis nudged him supportingly.

'Dumbledore wants you to get to know him, remember?' she sent him.

Nodding at Alexis's unspoken words, Harry replied to Slughorn confidently.

"I would love to," he said smoothly, and Alexis smiled. "Would it be alright if Hex comes too?"

Startled, Alexis barely heard Professor Slughorn's enthusiastic agreement before Harry was dragging her with him and Neville out of the compartment.

"I never agreed to this," whispered Neville to the duo.

"Neither did I," grumbled Alexis.

"Just go with it," countered Harry, plastering a smile on his face when Professor Slughorn glanced back to make sure they were keeping up.

The three continued to follow their professor down the train. When they reached compartment C, Professor Slughorn smiled back at them once more.

"I dare say, my other guests have already arrived," he mused with another chuckle that made his mustache twitch. "Shall we?"

Professor Slughorn opened the door before stepping out of the way. He motioned for the three to go inside first.

Alexis took a deep breath and sighed. A small lunch with a couple of strangers couldn't possibly be that bad. After all, she'd faced Death Eaters and werewolves before. Hell, she'd even stood face to face with the Dark Lord. How bad could a meal with a new professor and classmates be?

...

Bad. It was very bad.

* * *

It has been a while. A really long while. But I'm not finished yet. There will be more updates. It is just the when that we have to worry about. Until then...

No review responses this chapter but a huge thanks to **HazelVex, themoran, askousen44, Raven that flies at night, NeverBeyondRedemption, gossamermouse101, mwinter1, Robyn-in-the-air, RosyPastry, Chi-Suna, MadJazzy, phul, alylynn12,** and **santoserimar** for your reviews! You all kept me going when things got tough. Love ya'll!

Please Review!

C.D.F


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